Professor Lidenbrock and Axel travel to Iceland, Lidenbrock striding about energetically making arrangements for the expedition while Axel trails sulkily in his wake, querulously voicing doubts and warnings. The Professor ignores him or impatiently brushes aside his fears. In Reykjavik Lidenbrock gathers supplies and hires a guide named Hans Bjelke to take them to the volcano. They arrive at the base of the volcano in late June, close to the time (early July) when Saknussemm's note said the sun's shadow will reveal the entrance to the passage which leads to the center of the earth. Unfortunately for the professor (and to Axel's secret delight) the weather remains cloudy, the sun unable to cast a shadow. Axel hopes the cloud cover will last until the window of opportunity to see the shadow is gone and that his uncle will be forced to give up his plan. These hopes are dashed when, two days before the time is up, the sun breaks through and casts a shadow, revealing the entrance. Professor Lidenbrock excitedly leads them into the depths of the earth. The three men spend days and days descending into the bowels of the earth, encountering a number of curious phenomena and hazards. The greatest danger turns out to be lack of water; after a long time traveling underground-taking a wrong turn- and not coming upon any water source, they are running out of the supply they brought with them. Axel in particular is suffering... he eventually collapses from dehydration and loses consciousness. He is revived by Lidenbrock giving him water; Hans has located an underground river which saves them from having to worry about water anymore. The professor names the river Hansbach in gratitude to their guide. Once Axel is back on his feet, they start off again and go much deeper into the earth. At one point, Axel gets separated from Lidenbrock and Hans and despairs of finding them again. Fortunately, due to an odd echo effect in the passages, they are able to hear each other shouting and the professor and Hans eventually find Axel. After weeks of traveling, the three men come to a giant subterranean cavern which contains an underground sea surrounded by old petrified trees and gigantic mushrooms taller than they. The professor naturally names it Lidenbrock Sea, and the cove that they're in Port Grauben, after his goddaughter. I can't help noticing that he hasn't named anything after Axel yet. In any case, they build a raft out of some of the petrified wood and set sail on the sea, heading into the unknown once again.
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My nine year old nephew is studying Plutarch's Parallel Lives, specifically his Life of Demosthenes. As you can see, he's a little sarcastic about Plutarch commenting on someone else's propensity for being long -winded. Obviously my nephew is being home schooled. If he were in public school, instead of studying the lives of ancient Greeks and Romans, he'd no doubt be learning that you can change your gender like you change your shirt, while being told our founding fathers have to be erased from history because they weren't hep to gay marriage. Even back when I was going to public school and the educational system was still somewhat focused on providing an actual education, I wasn't studying Plutarch when I was nine. I am more and more convinced that the public school system is becoming useless and worse, actually harmful to our children. Demosthenes was a famed Greek statesman and orator who lived in 4th century BC Athens. He was an advocate, professional speech-writer, and politician who was well known for his eloquence; his style was much admired by later Greek and Roman orators such as Cicero. Plutarch, writing in the first century AD was mostly admiring and, to be fair, he was quoting someone else on Demosthenes' lack of brevity: "And the same philosopher tells us that Polyeuctus the Sphettian, one of the political leaders of that time at Athens, declared that Demosthenes was the greatest orator, but Phocion the most influential speaker; since he expressed most sense in fewest words. Indeed, we are told that even Demosthenes himself, whenever Phocion mounted the bema to reply to him, would say to his intimates: "Here comes the chopper of my speeches." Demosthenes was a great proponent of Athenian independence and spoke out strongly against King Phillip II of Macedonia who was attempting to conquer all the Greek city states. He later took part in the Athenian uprising against Phillip's son, Alexander the Great. The rebellion failed and ultimately led to Demosthenes' demise, as the Macedonians dealt harshly with the leaders of the uprising. Alexander's successor Antipater sent men out to hunt Demosthenes down, and the orator committed suicide to avoid being arrested. I've read a smattering of Demosthenes' speeches- by no means a great amount. One which I find particularly interesting (in places) is a speech he wrote but never actually delivered. It was meant to address the court in a case he was bringing against Meidias, a rich Athenian who was an enemy of Demosthenes. During a religious festival, Meidias approached Demosthenes and slapped him across the face. Demosthenes brought action against him for assault but the matter ended up being settled out of court, with Meidias apparently paying him a sum of money. The undelivered speech is really long and, I think, overly dramatic considering the incident, but does raise some interesting points. One of these is the difference in the ways in which the rich and poor are often treated before the law: "Having such grievances and being persecuted in the way that I have just described to you, but at the same time being neither quite friendless nor exactly a poor man, I am uncertain, men of Athens, what I ought to do. For, if I may add a word on this subject also, where the rich are concerned, Athenians, the rest of us have no share in our just and equal rights. Indeed we have not. The rich can choose their own time for facing a jury, and their crimes are stale and cold when they are dished up before you, but if any of the rest of us is in trouble, he is brought into court while all is fresh. The rich have witnesses and counsel in readiness, all primed against us ; but, as you see, my witnesses are some of them unwilling even to bear testimony to the truth." Demosthenes also articulates the importance of rule of law in maintaining a safe and just society: "Just think. The instant this court rises, each of you will walk home, one quicker, another more leisurely, not anxious, not glancing behind him, not fearing whether he is going to run up against a friend or an enemy, a big man or a little one, a strong man or a weak one, or anything of that sort. And why ? Because in his heart he knows, and is confident, and has learned to trust the State, that no one shall seize or insult or strike him. That sense of security, then, with which you walk the streets — will you not guarantee it to me before you set off home?... ...For if you would only examine and consider the question, what it is that gives you who serve on juries such power and authority in all state-affairs, whether the State empanels two hundred of you or a thousand or any other number, you would find that it is not that you alone of the citizens are drawn up under arms, not that your physical powers are at their best and strongest, not that you are in the earliest prime of manhood ; it is due to no cause of that sort but simply to the strength of the laws. And what is the strength of the laws ? If one of you is wronged and cries aloud, will the laws run up and be at his side to assist him ? No; they are only written texts and incapable of such action. Wherein then resides their power? In yourselves, if only you support them and make them all-powerful to help him who needs them. So the laws are strong through you and you through the laws. Therefore you must help them as readily as any man would help himself if wronged ; you must consider that you share in the wrongs done to the laws, by whomsoever they are found to be committed ; and no excuse — neither public services, nor pity, nor personal influence, nor forensic skill, nor anything else — must be devised whereby anyone who has transgressed the laws shall escape punishment." Incidentally, Demosthenes gets a brief mention in My Fair Lady. According to Plutarch, Demosthenes had a speech impediment which he overcame by putting pebbles in his mouth and attempting to speak clearly around them. Professor Higgins recreates this experiment with Eliza Doolittle, trying to get her to pronounce her words properly. Related Posts:Niece listening intently to some Beatrix Potter: Read to Me Read to me riddles and read to me rhymes Read to me stories of magical times Read to me tales about castles and kings Read to me stories of fabulous things Read to me pirates and read to me knights Read to me dragons and dragon-book fights Read to me spaceships and cowboys and then When you are finished- please read them again. -Jane Yolen Related Posts: The second episode of Cranford, though still humorous, is darker in tone than episode one. Preparations are underway for Lady Ludlow's annual garden party, and the Browns are visited by a friend- Major Gordon. As the episode progresses, we learn that several years before the Major was courting Jessie Brown, but she declined his offer of marriage because she had to care for her sister. It appears that he is back to attempt once more to win her hand. We see more of the impoverished Gregson family; Mrs. Gregson has had a baby and is too weak to produce enough milk for the child. Harry and his younger brother start sneaking out at night, stealing milk from Mrs. Forrester's beloved cow Bessie for the baby. One night, however, the younger brother accidentally leaves the gate unlatched and the cow wanders off. When Mrs. Forrester finds her Bessie is missing, she is inconsolable and a good deal of the townspeople turn out to help search for the beast. Bessie is eventually found, having fallen into a pit of lime. They are able to rescue her, but the lime has burned off all of her hair. The ladies of the town, scandalized by the sight of the naked cow, make Bessie an outfit which resembles long johns to wear while her hair grows back. While this is going on, Major Gordon proposes to Jessie and she is about to accept him when he informs her that his regiment is being sent to India. Jessie tells him that she can't possibly leave her father alone and move so far away and, extremely upset, the Major leaves Cranford. Mr. Gregson turns up again, just long enough to make a nuisance of himself. He's actually angry when he discovers that Harry, despite being unable to attend school, has taught himself to read a bit. Gregson sees this as a waste of time and a sign that Harry is getting above himself. Mr. Gregson should be punched in the throat. Harry slips out that night and wanders onto the Ludlow estate, getting into the greenhouse through a window. He doesn't take anything but sits down to rest and falls asleep, only to be caught by Edmund Carter. The estate manager, convinced Harry is up to no good, takes the boy to his office. After talking to him however, Carter finds him to be intelligent and well spoken despite his lack of formal schooling. He offers Harry work, helping to get ready for the garden party. After observing the boy's hard work, Carter offers him more permanent employment and to help him receive an education. Meanwhile, Dr. Frank Harrison has been settling in to his new practice. Unfortunately, a local single lady, Caroline Tomkinson, is infatuated with the eligible young doctor and starts to be afflicted with sudden illnesses which require an examination by Harrison although he assures her that there's nothing wrong with her. Dr Harrison is actually smitten with Sophy Hutton, the daughter of the local rector. She seems a sweet girl, who takes care of her younger siblings because their mother is dead. Frank tries to spend time with Sophy at the garden party but is called away, first by Caroline Tomkinson who has become suddenly "ill". Then Mary Smith's stepmother, who has shown up for the party, decides to try to offload her unwanted stepdaughter and maneuvers Frank into taking Mary out on the lake in a boat. An embarrassed Mary apologizes to Frank and the two share a laugh over the situation and he confesses to her his attraction to Sophy. Sophy and her family end up leaving early because her brother Walter isn't feeling well. Back at the party, the rumour flies around that the railway is going to be coming through Cranford. The ladies are aghast at the very thought of such a thing happening and rush to ask Captain Brown if he knows anything about it. To their shock, he not only confirms that the railway is coming but tells them that he has been employed by the company and will be traveling a good deal. The ladies are all indignant; Miss Deborah in particular feels betrayed and tells Captain Brown that their acquaintance is at an end. She storms off. Jessie is also furious with her father, but for another reason. He hadn't told her about his employment and so she turned down Major Gordon's offer of marriage, thinking that her father needed her. When Deborah and Matty arrive home, Deborah is still in a rage and complaining of having a headache. She goes to her room, but then collapses on the floor. A panicked Matty sends for the doctor. At the same time, the Hutton family is also sending for the doctor because young Walter has become very ill with the croup and is struggling to breathe. Dr. Morgan goes to the Jenkyns' house while Dr. Harrison rushes to the Huttons. Sadly, there is nothing for Dr. Morgan to do when he arrives to examine Miss Deborah, other than break the news to Matty that her sister has died. Dr. Harrison works all night on Walter, doing everything in his power to lower the boy's temperature and clear his lungs. Unfortunately, Walter is just too far gone and also dies. His family is completely devastated and Sophy blames herself for not realizing earlier that Walter was so sick. I am continuing to enjoy Cranford as we get to know the characters better. Though I was sad to see Miss Deborah go, because I quite enjoyed her crusty personality. It is, as I mentioned, a darker episode which makes you realize afresh just how much easier it was for people to die of relatively innocuous illnesses back then. And make you extremely grateful for modern medicine. I'm continuing to enjoy the eccentric Mrs. Forrester and many of the other characters and have become invested in the lives of several of them, such as Dr. Harrison and young Harry Gregson. The spectre of the Industrial Revolution is looming on the horizon in the form of the coming railway and Cranford briefly introduces the controversy caused by it in this episode. The ladies of Cranford are horrified by the thought of the noisy, dirty railroad putting a line through the town, considering it a smoke-spewing blight on the beautiful landscape. To the working class poor- or soldiers on half pay like Captain Brown- the railroad represents jobs and increased convenience in transporting goods to their markets. These people don't have the luxury of opposing progress on aesthetic or sentimental grounds. It will be interesting to see how this conflict plays out in the upcoming episodes. Related Posts:I've had very little free time this past week, due to a special event which we were preparing for at work and the party which my family was planning to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary for our parents. The party went off without a hitch this Saturday and everyone had a great time. This is a picture I took while we were decorating, of my mum's wedding dress on a dress form: Never Marry But For Love Never marry but for love; but see that thou lovest what is lovely. He that minds a body and not a soul has not the better part of that relationship, and will consequently lack the noblest comfort of a married life. Between a man and his wife nothing ought rule but love. As love ought to bring them together, so it is the best way to keep them well together. A husband and wife that love one another show their children that they should do so too. Others visibly lose their authority in their families by their contempt of one another, and teach their children to be unnatural by their own examples. Let not enjoyment lessen, but augment, affection; it being the basest of passions to like when we have not, what we slight when we possess. Here it is we ought to search out our pleasure, where the field is large and full of variety, and of an enduring nature; sickness, poverty or disgrace being not able to shake it because it is not under the moving influences of worldly contingencies. Nothing can be more entire and without reserve; nothing more zealous, affectionate and sincere; nothing more contented than such a couple, nor greater temporal felicity than to be one of them. -William Penn Related Posts: We started this year's choir season last Tuesday night and got our folders of music. One of the pieces which we're working on is Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind, music by John Rutter and lyrics by William Shakespeare. John Rutter is a very well known composer in England who specializes in choral music. He's a favourite with the royal family: in 2002 he wrote a setting for Psalm 100 which was commissioned for Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee service at St. Paul's Cathedral. Also, in 2011 he was commissioned to write a new anthem- This Is The Day- by Prince William and Kate Middleton for their wedding. It was played in Westminster Abbey during the ceremony. Mr. Shakespeare needs, of course, no introduction. The lyrics of Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Winds are taken from Act II in his play As You Like It. It is a song sung by one of the characters- Amiens- and it comments on the ways of the world and the ingratitude of man. Here's John Rutter's version: “Blow, blow, thou winter wind” -William Shakespeare Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, That dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friend remembered not. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly... Related Post: OK, so this image isn't technically from a book, but from a story within a book: the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red in Grimm's Fairy Tales (it's tale #161). In it, Snow White & Rose Red are two sisters living in a humble cabin in the woods with their widowed mother. One cold winter night, there is a knock on the door and Rose Red opens it to find a bear standing there. She is terrified, but the bear- who talks!- assures her that he means no harm: he just wants to come in and get warm. They take pity on him and let him lay beside the fire and the girls, losing their fear of him, brush the snow off his fur and eventually start to play with him. The bear returns to the woods in the morning but comes back to the cabin every night during the winter, he and Snow White and Rose Red becoming good friends. When the winter is over, the bear bids them farewell, telling them that he must go to protect his treasure from evil dwarfs who will be leaving their caves after the cold weather and seeking to take it. During the summer, Snow White & Rose Red are gathering firewood for their mother and happen upon a dwarf who has his beard caught in a tree he cut down. Catching sight of the girls, he angrily demands that they help him. They try but can't get his beard free. Rose Red offers to run and get help, but the dwarf shouts angrily that he doesn't want any other people around. Snow White pulls out her sewing scissors and cuts the end off of his beard, freeing him. Instead of being grateful, the dwarf rages at them for cutting his "beautiful beard" and flounces off carrying a sack of gold which he had hidden in the bushes. Who is this hostile dwarf? Where did he get the gold? Do Snow White & Rose Red meet up with him again? And what has happened to their friend, the kindly talking bear? If you read Grimm's Fairy Tales as a child, you already know. If not well, there's no time like the present. Related Posts: With summer winding down and schedules returning to normal, we're getting back into the habit of gathering to watch a movie on Sunday nights. Last Sunday we watched the first episode of the 2007 BBC series Cranford. This is an adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 1853 novel by the same name, though it apparently also draws a bit from three of her other works: The Last Generation In England, My Lady Ludlow, and Mr. Harrison's Confessions. I've read several of Gaskell's books- North and South, Wives and Daughters, and Mary Barton- but have never read Cranford or the other books mentioned above so am watching the series with only a vague notion of what it's about. I did give a copy of the book to one of my sisters along with the DVDs of Cranford last Christmas (this is what we're watching) so she has a better idea of what's going on than I. So far, Cranford doesn't seem to have much of a plot; it's more of a series of vignettes involving various members of the town of Cranford. This is an observation not a criticism, because these vignettes are interesting and often quite humorous. My sister says that the book is like this and is related mostly in a series of letters to one of the main characters- Miss Mary Smith- who is a frequent visitor to the town. The BBC series however does not employ letters to tell its story and, instead of Mary occasionally visiting, she moves to Cranford at the beginning of Episode I. Mary Smith is from Manchester and she comes to Cranford in the summer of 1842 to stay with friends of her late mother: the two spinster sisters Deborah and Matty Jenkyns. Soon afterwards, new neighbours move in next door- Captain Brown and his two daughters. The very prim and correct Deborah is a bit put off by the Captain due to his blunt habits of speech. He frankly admits that they've moved to Cranford because it's a fairly inexpensive place to live and he doesn't have much money. Deborah considers this discussion of personal finances to be crass and vulgar. They don't meet Brown's eldest daughter because she is bedridden and extremely ill, but take an interest in the younger daughter Jessie, who spends most of her time caring for her sister. Later in the episode, the ill Miss Brown dies while Captain Brown is away, and the women rally around to help Jessie- especially Deborah, proving that her bark is worse than her bite. Another incident which sets the town gossips aflutter is the arrival of the young (and single) new doctor Frank Harrison. He has come to assist his uncle, Doctor Morgan- the town's current physician- with his practice. Morgan worries that the townspeople, set in their ways, won't accept his young nephew as a doctor, but Frank wins them over with his first case. Local handyman Jem Hearne has suffered a compound fracture while doing some work for the Jenkyns. Dr. Morgan is planning to amputate the arm, which will mean financial destitution for Hearne who will no longer be able to do carpentry. Dr. Harrison intervenes, proposing to perform a new surgery, setting the bone and stitching the arm closed. The problem is, it needs to be done right away before infection sets in, it's night, and Harrison needs a lot of light to see what he's doing. He goes to the local store hoping to buy out all their candles but is told that they are sold out until the next shipment arrives. Getting wind of this, the ladies of Cranford spring into action, gathering up all the candles that they can find in town and bringing them to the doctor. This allows Harrison to operate without waiting until daylight, saving Jem's arm. In another story line, we meet local aristocrat Lady Ludlow, whose husband and most of her children are dead. Her one remaining son, whom she idolizes, lives abroad spending the estate's money and never bothering to come home. She makes excuses for him, but it's obvious that he's a selfish wastrel. Her estate is managed by the competent and conscientious Edmund Carter. At the other end of the social spectrum we meet the impoverished Gregson family; Gregson seems to be a deadbeat, his wife struggling to take care of their kids and make ends meet. Their eldest son Harry tries to help his mother but is too young to do much. Among the other residents of the town, we meet the somewhat eccentric widow Mrs. Forrester. In this episode, her cat swallows a valuable length of lace trim which requires the prompt use of a laxative and a Wellington boot to, um, retrieve the lace. I found myself quite enjoying this first episode of Cranford. As mentioned, there's no plot to speak of: we just sort of meander from one scene to the next, but these scenes are interesting and enjoyable. The focus of Cranford seems to be the women of the town; there are men, but they are more satellite characters, orbiting around the ladies and their concerns. As this is a BBC production, Cranford is a veritable "who's who" of British actors, from those you recognize at once such as Judi Dench, Julia Sawalha, and Imelda Staunton, to many more who look vaguely familiar and you eventually place as having been in some period drama or another. All in all, I had a good time watching episode one of Cranford and am looking forward to the next installment. Related Posts: |
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